Long ago in the Dreamtime, when the world was very young, all the birds and animals spoke the same language. So the Kookaburra could talk to the Wombat, and the wombat to the Emu, and the Eagle to the Koala. And at this time, all the birds and animals lived forever, no one ever died. None of the creatures knew about death because they had never seen it. Then one morning, a young Cockatoo was playing high up in a tree. He called to the other animals, 'Corock, corock, look at me, swinging on a branch!' The others looked up. he was very high. They watched him dance from branch to branch. Then, suddenly, he slipped and fell. All the way to the ground! With a loud 'whoomph' he landed on his head. The other animals rushed up and saw the cockatoo lying very still. || 'What a good trick. Cockatoo!' 'Will you show us?' 'Didn't he look funny when he landed!'
||
But the Cockatoo didn't move. Perhaps he was embarrassed and hiding his face in the sand. Or perhaps he was just having a sleep. They tried to wake him, but they couldn't. He just lay there. Then the wise old wombat waddled up. He looked at the little cockatoo lying there, his head to one side. The wombat took a good look at the cockatoo. Then he felt his tiny body, and turned to the other animals, telling them that the cockatoo had broken his neck. || 'What doe that mean, Wombat?' 'Yes, Wombat, what does that mean? 'Did the Spirits do it?'
||
The old wombat thought for a while. The Spirits must have done this. They must have done this for a reason. but what reason? The Wombat called a meeting under a big old gum tree in the sandy creek bed. All the animals came. The Snakes, the Crows, the Possums, the Emus, the Caterpillars, the Kangaroos - all the birds and animals. || 'Tell us about the Cockatoo.' 'Sssshh! Did you see him fall, Wombat?' 'Is he still there?'
||
While they were talking, the Spirits came and took the little cockatoo up into the sky. As the animals looked up, they could see the little cockatoo wafting away into the sky. When the animals saw this, they were even more puzzled. What had happened to the cockatoo, and what were the Spirits going to do with him? This had certainly never happened before. Then the Wombat spoke, very slowly, || 'I think, I think that the Spirits have taken the Cockatoo up into the sky, so they can change him into something else.'
||
The animals were confused, but they were also curious. Then the Possum said, || 'What if someone went up into the sky, and waited to see what the Spirits do with the little cockatoo?'
||
The wombat thought that this was an excellent idea. but who was to go? Wombat was certainly too old to be climbing around the sky. Anyway, it was nearly winter, and he had his burrow to fix. He asked the Snakes. 'Shhhh, not usss., not usss - we're too sssleepy.' So he asked the Crows, 'Coark, coark, well we'd like to, but...' So he asked the Kangaroos, || 'Don't send us, what about the Magpie Geese, they're always poking their noses into our business!'
||
So he asked the Magpie Geese, || 'You only asked us because the Kangaroos said to!'
||
The Wombat was stuck. None of the animals wanted to go. He understood. It did mean spending the whole winter there; it would be cold, and there would be no shelter. Ah well, he thought, we'll never find out. Then the Caterpillars wriggled up, || 'What about us? We never get asked to do things. All of us could go together, then we can make our camp and spend the whole winter there. When it gets warm in the spring we will come back and tell you what has happened to the little Cockatoo!'
||
The animals cheered. good old Caterpillars! They would find out what happened to the little cockatoo, even if it did mean spending the whole winter there. So the Caterpillars gathered, and in one huge wriggling cloud, went up into the sky. And all the other animals sat down to wait for the spring. When the winter was nearly over, the Wombat called all the animals together. They agreed to send out a hunting party to look for the Caterpillars. The Snakes said they would go. but they found nothing. The next day, the Crows flew off to look, but no Caterpillars. Each day, a group of animals would go out, searching for the Caterpillars, and each day they would return with nothing. Then, on the first warm day of spring, a pair of Dragonflies came rushing back to where the animals were camped. They were very very excited. || 'We have seen them! We have seen them! And they are different! They are returning with new bodies!'
||
Then the Dragonflies flew off to bring the Caterpillars back to where the animals were camped. The animals waited. What would the Caterpillars look like? Then they saw them. A beautiful parade of brightly coloured wings! Reds and blues, whites and yellows. The first Butterflies! As the Butterflies flicked and flitted, the animals realized that here was the proof that the spirits had given the Caterpillars a new and beautiful shape. They also realized that when the Spirits took the little Cockatoo, they took him so that they could give him a new shape, so that he could become a new creature. As the butterflies settled in the trees, they made such a pretty sight that the old ones decided that this must always be so. So, ever since then, the caterpillars spend winter hidden in cocoons, preparing for the change into their beautiful spring bodies, just as they did long ago in the Dreamtime
The Birth of the Butterflies
Long ago in the Dreamtime, when the world was very young, all the birds and animals spoke the same language. So the Kookaburra could talk to the Wombat, and the wombat to the Emu, and the Eagle to the Koala. And at this time, all the birds and animals lived forever, no one ever died. None of the creatures knew about death because they had never seen it. Then one morning, a young Cockatoo was playing high up in a tree. He called to the other animals,
'Corock, corock, look at me, swinging on a branch!'
The others looked up. he was very high. They watched him dance from branch to branch. Then, suddenly, he slipped and fell. All the way to the ground! With a loud 'whoomph' he landed on his head. The other animals rushed up and saw the cockatoo lying very still.
|| 'What a good trick. Cockatoo!'
'Will you show us?'
'Didn't he look funny when he landed!'
||
But the Cockatoo didn't move. Perhaps he was embarrassed and hiding his face in the sand. Or perhaps he was just having a sleep. They tried to wake him, but they couldn't. He just lay there. Then the wise old wombat waddled up. He looked at the little cockatoo lying there, his head to one side. The wombat took a good look at the cockatoo. Then he felt his tiny body, and turned to the other animals, telling them that the cockatoo had broken his neck.
|| 'What doe that mean, Wombat?'
'Yes, Wombat, what does that mean?
'Did the Spirits do it?'
||
The old wombat thought for a while. The Spirits must have done this. They must have done this for a reason. but what reason? The Wombat called a meeting under a big old gum tree in the sandy creek bed. All the animals came. The Snakes, the Crows, the Possums, the Emus, the Caterpillars, the Kangaroos - all the birds and animals.
|| 'Tell us about the Cockatoo.'
'Sssshh! Did you see him fall, Wombat?'
'Is he still there?'
||
While they were talking, the Spirits came and took the little cockatoo up into the sky. As the animals looked up, they could see the little cockatoo wafting away into the sky. When the animals saw this, they were even more puzzled. What had happened to the cockatoo, and what were the Spirits going to do with him? This had certainly never happened before. Then the Wombat spoke, very slowly,
|| 'I think, I think that the Spirits have taken the Cockatoo up into the sky, so they can change him into something else.'
||
The animals were confused, but they were also curious. Then the Possum said,
|| 'What if someone went up into the sky, and waited to see what the Spirits do with the little cockatoo?'
||
The wombat thought that this was an excellent idea. but who was to go? Wombat was certainly too old to be climbing around the sky. Anyway, it was nearly winter, and he had his burrow to fix. He asked the Snakes.
'Shhhh, not usss., not usss - we're too sssleepy.'
So he asked the Crows,
'Coark, coark, well we'd like to, but...'
So he asked the Kangaroos,
|| 'Don't send us, what about the Magpie Geese, they're always poking their noses into our business!'
||
So he asked the Magpie Geese,
|| 'You only asked us because the Kangaroos said to!'
||
The Wombat was stuck. None of the animals wanted to go. He understood. It did mean spending the whole winter there; it would be cold, and there would be no shelter. Ah well, he thought, we'll never find out.
Then the Caterpillars wriggled up,
|| 'What about us? We never get asked to do things. All of us could go together, then we can make our camp and spend the whole winter there. When it gets warm in the spring we will come back and tell you what has happened to the little Cockatoo!'
||
The animals cheered. good old Caterpillars! They would find out what happened to the little cockatoo, even if it did mean spending the whole winter there. So the Caterpillars gathered, and in one huge wriggling cloud, went up into the sky. And all the other animals sat down to wait for the spring. When the winter was nearly over, the Wombat called all the animals together. They agreed to send out a hunting party to look for the Caterpillars. The Snakes said they would go. but they found nothing. The next day, the Crows flew off to look, but no Caterpillars. Each day, a group of animals would go out, searching for the Caterpillars, and each day they would return with nothing. Then, on the first warm day of spring, a pair of Dragonflies came rushing back to where the animals were camped. They were very very excited.
|| 'We have seen them! We have seen them! And they are different! They are returning with new bodies!'
||
Then the Dragonflies flew off to bring the Caterpillars back to where the animals were camped. The animals waited. What would the Caterpillars look like? Then they saw them. A beautiful parade of brightly coloured wings! Reds and blues, whites and yellows. The first Butterflies! As the Butterflies flicked and flitted, the animals realized that here was the proof that the spirits had given the Caterpillars a new and beautiful shape. They also realized that when the Spirits took the little Cockatoo, they took him so that they could give him a new shape, so that he could become a new creature. As the butterflies settled in the trees, they made such a pretty sight that the old ones decided that this must always be so. So, ever since then, the caterpillars spend winter hidden in cocoons, preparing for the change into their beautiful spring bodies, just as they did long ago in the Dreamtime